Membership and Outreach

General Updates

Thanks to all CRRC participants that have completed their 2009 Renewals by the January 1st deadline! We hope that the transition to completing renewals online has been smooth. We are excited to continue developing the second phase of our online database system and hope to have both new applications and the credit card payment option online in 2009.

Please note that if your company has not completed their renewals by January 1, 2009, your renewal fees are now overdue. Please log onto http:renewals.coolroofs.org if you have not done so already. If you are unsure what your password is or if you have any questions related to the online database, please do not hesitate to contact Kathleen Phu at Kathleen@coolroofs.org or call (510) 482-4420 ext. 251).

We welcome any feedback and/or suggestions; please feel free to provide any comments regarding your experience with the online process.

In accordance with the CRRC's procedures for consensus review, the CRRC-1 Standard was balloted by the Consensus Body ballot (completed on November 24, 2008) and completed its Public Comment Period on December 9, 2008. The Standards Committee will respond to comments by mid-January 2009, working to resolve comments and questions about the standard.

What is the CRRC-1 Standard?
The CRRC-1 Standard is a standard for the measurement of initial and aged solar reflectance and thermal emittance of roofing products. It is the portion of the CRRC’s Program Manual that describes sample preparation and testing procedures.

What is ANSI?
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a distinguished non-profit organization that coordinates the development of voluntary consensus standards through its Essential Requirements, which require the process for standards development to be fair, open, and balanced.

The CRRC became an Accredited Standards Developer in June 2008 and is undergoing consensus review of the CRRC-1 Standard in order for it to become an American National Standard. This effort demonstrates the organization’s commitment to have a fair and open process for standards development.

Technical Update

The Technical Committee met November 17th in Boston, Massachusetts for a full day of discussion and analysis, with topics including:

Reflectometer Study
The Reflectometer Task Group is designing a study examining the impact on existing product ratings of an update to the Devices and Services reflectometer, which is used for C1549. The task group has created a list of product samples to test and is in the process of finalizing the experiment design.

Representative Samples
The Committee had a lengthy discussion on the nature of a “representative sample” of a roofing product for variegated products. The discussion was prompted by a request from ASTM that the CRRC clarify the definition of a representative sample in CRRC-1 Test Method 1, in order to include the test method as an appendix to ASTM C1549. When tiles and shingles are combined in blends of multiple colors on a single roof, it can be difficult to define exactly what constitutes a representative sample. The Committee generally felt that the definition should be left up to the manufacturer for each individual product; no formal decision was made.

Coating Thickness over Granulated Substrates
A number of CRRC Testing Laboratories (AITLs) asked the Committee to define a process for measuring the thickness of field-applied coatings over granulated substrates. The uneven surface and high variation in thickness makes this test difficult to perform once the coating has been applied. The Committee recommended that such samples should be prepared by the testing lab at an application rate that meets the manufacturer-specified minimum dry mil thickness based on a calculation using the volume solids, thus negating the need for a thickness measurement. Attending representatives of the CRRC AITLs agreed that this was an acceptable solution.

Tile Rating Procedure
The Tile Roofing Institute (TRI) presented a study comparing measurements made with CRRC-1 Test Method 1 and E1918A for a variety of tile products. TRI expressed concern that E1918A could not produce consistent data which reflected the differences in profile between the varying tiles. At the same time, CRRC-1 Test Method 1 measurements often failed to converge within the standard error of 0.005 required by Test Method 1, even after over 100 measurements. TRI asked the Technical Committee to approve a test method for tile that addressed these issues and could be implemented before August 2009.

After an in-depth discussion, the Committee made a number of determinations. First, they agreed that ASTM E1918 and E1918A are not reliable enough to be required for profiled product rating. Second, the standard error of CRRC-1 Test Method 1 must be expanded if it is applied to tiles. Third, C1549 is not the appropriate device to use for measuring profiled products, so a new test method is needed. The Committee’s solution was to recommend that, for an interim period of 18 months, tiles must be rated using a modified version of CRRC-1 Test Method 1 with a maximum standard error of 0.02. During this interim period, the Technical Committee will form a task group to research and develop alternative test methods for profiled products. After 18 months, the Technical Committee and the Board shall re-examine the available test methods and select a permanent test method for tile products.

Ratings, Codes and Programs

The California Energy Commission (CEC) adopted the 2008 version of the Building Energy Efficiency Standards (Title 24) on April 23, 2008 and the Building Standards Commission approved them for publication this past September 11, 2008. The effective date for the 2008 standards has been postponed from July 1, 2009 to August 1, 2009. This revised effective date means that all updates to Title 24 will be effective at the same time. The new 2008 standards will affect projects whose building permit applications are submitted on or after August 1, 2009.

The CEC website states, “California’s building efficiency standards (along with those for energy efficient appliances) have saved more than $56 billion in electricity and natural gas costs since 1978. It is estimated the standards will save an additional $23 billion by 2013.”

If you have specific questions about Title 24, please contact:
Title 24 Energy Efficiency Hotline
E-mail: title24@energy.state.ca.us
Phone: 916-654-5106 (toll free in California) or
Phone: 1-800-772-3300

The International Code Council-Evaluation Services (ICC-ES) published the final version of their guidelines to determine the radiative properties of cool roofing materials, effective October 1, 2008. This guideline is part of their new Sustainable Attributes Verification and Evaluation (SAVE) Program.

The guidelines require that test results be provided for initial and aged solar reflectance (measured using ASTM C1549, or E 903, or ASTM E1918 for low-slope products only) and thermal emittance (measured using ASTM C1371 or E408). Aged ratings must be determined from specimens exposed for at least three years in three climates zones: hot/humid, cold/temperate, and hot/dry. While the CRRC is not referenced in the ICC-ES guidelines, CRRC test results should qualify under the ICC-ES guidelines.

The CRRC submitted written comments during the public comment period urging ICC-ES to reference the CRRC’s rating program and leverage the considerable effort the CRRC has made to create a product rating program that ensures fair, accurate, and credible ratings. Though they did not accept the comments, the CRRC will look for opportunities to work with ICC-ES and to include a reference to the CRRC-1 Standard in their guidelines, once the standard is approved by ANSI.

In response to industry feedback, the American Society for Heating, Refrigeration and Air-conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) has decided to reconstitute their committee responsible for developing the ASHRAE/USGBC/IESNA Proposed Standard 189.1P, Standard for the Design of High-Performance Green Buildings.

In a letter dated October 14, 2008, ASHRAE President William Harrison wrote, “ASHRAE has decided to reconstitute the standard project committee as soon as possible so that we can ensure that directly and materially affected parties have all appropriate opportunities to participate in the development of this standard.” ASHRAE has cleared the existing committee and is seeking a new chairman and project committee.

The California Air Resources Board (ARB) revised the draft regulations proposed for solar reflective automotive paint and glazing. Based on discussions with manufacturers, ARB revised the requirement from 60% reflectance by 2012 to 30% reflectance for one-third of the color palette by 2012 and the remaining third by 2016. The requirements also include exemptions for certain vehicle parts and for custom colors.

ARB is drafting these regulations as an Early Action strategy to meet the greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals set by the California Global Warming Solutions Act (AB 32), which aims to achieve 1990 emissions levels by 2020. Reflective automotive pigments aim to reduce the solar heat gain in a vehicle parked in the sun and therefore reduce air conditioner use. ARB expects that cool automotive paints and reflective glazing will reduce the soak temperature of the typical vehicle parked in the sun by 5 to10 degrees Celsius (41 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit).

The CRRC is contracting with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) to hold a CRRC Lab Training workshop at their site in Berkeley, California. The one-day course provides training on measuring the optical properties of roofing materials both in the laboratory environment and in the field.

Membership and Outreach

The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is hosting the Second International Conference on Countermeasures to Urban Heat Islands (ICCUHI) on September 21 to 23, 2009 in Berkeley, California. This conference will emphasize cool materials, including roofs, as important counter measures to urban heat island effect. The Conference Chairman, Dr. Hashem Akbari of LBNL, leads an organizing committee with strong representation from Asia and Europe, as well as the United States and Canada.

There will be a tradeshow portion of the conference that will provide an opportunity for exhibitors to showcase their products. Members of the CRRC are invited to attend and participate in the ICCUHI Conference. The CRRC intends to host a booth, and has submitted an abstract to the conference with the intention to present at a session.

Information for attendees, exhibitors and sponsors can be found at the Conference website:
You can also contact the Conference Director, Dr. Melvin Pomerantz at m_pomerantz@LBL.gov or (510) 486-4801 for more information.

Staff attended the annual U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Greenbuild International Conference and Expo November 11 to 13 at the Boston Convention Center. Staffing a tradeshow booth, CRRC staff interacted with a diverse range of sustainable building professionals from all over the world! There were over 29,000 attendees and over 800 booths with green building products, technologies, and services. USGBC announced that next year’s Greenbuild Conference and Expo will be held in Phoenix, Arizona with the theme of “Main Street Green: Connect to the Conversation.”

The CRRC provided signs for our Licensees to display at their booths to highlight their CRRC rated products at the Greenbuild Conference and Expo. They were seen all over the Expo floor. We hope that companies continue to use these signs. If your company would like a sign to display at future tradeshows, please contact Michelle at michelle@coolroofs.org.

A Look Ahead!

The CRRC has completed an online Continuing Education Unit (CEU) accredited by the American Institute of Architects (AIA). The course will be listed in Architectural Record through McGraw-Hill Continuing Education Center at http://continuingeducation.construction.com by early February 2009. This year sustainable design has been added as a mandatory continuing education requirement for AIA membership. Please contact info@coolroofs.org with any questions.

Contact Us

Please let us know if you have any comments, questions or items you’d
like us to include in future newsletters.